Mount Shosha

28th January 2007

Today we went to Mount Shosha which is where The Last Samuri was filmed. It is such a beautiful mountain. To get to the top you have to take a cable car. You get there within 5 minutes. The view was very picturesque. There were lots of different little shrines and statues to look at along the way. There was a bell that you were allowed to dong so of course I wanted to have a turn. It made a pretty loud ‘DONG’. We just took our time going around the mountain looking at all the beautiful things on it and taking a billion photos. We actually didn’t get around to do the whole mountain as we ran out of time so it is definitely a place that we will be going back to, to have another look at. Next time we will probably take a picnic lunch with us.

Australia Day

26th January 2007

Today is Australia Day. Celebrating Australia Day in Japan was very different to being in Australia. The Japanese people had no idea about Australia Day until we explained to them what it was all about. There were certainly no big firework displays today, but even still we wanted to celebrate it ourselves. After work we all decided to put on some Australia gear and go out for tea. No one seemed to really take notice of what we were wearing. After tea we headed out to karaoke where we sang some songs and had a few drinks. We joined some of the Americans again. There were a few Japanese people in the Karaoke room too and they ended up paying for the whole evening. I couldn’t believe it. It would have been quite expensive too. Well over $100, and these people didn’t even know us. After Karaoke we went to a pub called Coast. This pub was pretty good.
We danced the night away. Our Australia gear was popular in this pub with everyone wanting to know why we were wearing it. We got home around 3am.

A Swallowcliffe Moment...

26th January 2007

I had an interesting lesson today. Everything was going really well, the students were all on task doing what they were supposed to be doing when all of a sudden I heard a big commotion going on. I turned around to see one of the boys on the floor doing a little commando roll with his desk turned upside down and his chair fallen over. One of the other boys had pushed him over. At first I just thought he fell off his chair but then I saw another boy fired up trying to go for him again. The supervising teacher seemed pretty calm. She just went over to the boys and said something calmly to them in Japanese which I didn’t understand.
As I am not the main teacher there wasn’t much I could really do. I just let them sort out the issue. It was not like I had never seen this kind of behaviour happen before – but it was definitely the first time I had seen this type of behaviour in Japan. The funny thing was, no-one got sent out. I think it has to be pretty drastic for students to be sent out here – I definitely do not agree with this system. If students are being disruptive they should be sent out of the room. Well this certainly made my lesson interesting and one that stood out from the rest.

Shikama High School

This is my school........


the front of the school


another front view


the soccer field


leading to the front doors


the front doors


the shoe cupboard


the staff room


my classroom

Our Apartment

If you are wondering what our apartment looks like here it is.......


bathroom and laundry


shower and bath


hallway


the bedroom


the toilet


the kitchen


the dining room


the lounge room

Tea Ceremony

21st January 2007

Today we were invited to a Japanese tea ceremony. This is a very traditional ritual. There is a very strict procedure on how to make a cup of tea to the point where there is a club at school so that students can learn how to perform this ceremony. The ceremony went for 2 hours. In that time we had to introduce ourselves to the Japanese community members in Japanese which again I was not prepared for as I wasn’t aware that this was going to happen. I just did the best that I could do. After the introductions a pianist and a singer came in to perform for us. They were very talented. We then had to try singing a Japanese song in Japanese. It was pretty basic so it was ok. After the performance we watched the girls perform the tea ceremony.



It was fantastic to watch. All the girls were dressed in Kimonos and had gone to a lot of effort to get their hair done. They looked beautiful. The green kimono was my favourite. The tea we drank was green tea and it was very bitter. There was no asking for sugar. To make it taste a little sweeter they give us a Japanese sweet to eat before we drank the tea.





The tea was like a cappuccino all frothy on top. Before you drank it you had to turn the cup 2 turns clockwise. Once you had finished you wiped the cup clean with your fingers and then turned it back 2 turns. You had to perform each step in the right order.


After we tried the tea that the girls made for us we were able to have a turn to make the tea. It was fun having a go. My froth was the best – it looked like a real cappuccino! Trying to drink two lots of tea was an effort though. I wouldn’t say that I would drink it everyday. Some girls at my school have invited me to watch them practise their tea ceremonies. So I think I will be drinking another cup of green frothy tea.

My First Driving Experience....

Well I had my first driving experience in Japan. I was very nervous but I had to get it over and done with sooner or later. (By the way, the car that we were given is awesome!) Steve and I decided to go for a drive into the city to see whether or not our new bankcards would work. So I drove us there. Steve has driven quite a few times now so he is used to it. I was very hesitant. Even though the rules are pretty much the same there are some different signs and road markings, which I am not quite sure about. I felt like a granny. I was driving between 25 and 30km. The speed limit around the city is 40km. It took forever to get there. Instead of taking about 10 minutes it took us about 20 minutes. Steve kept telling me to drive a bit faster but I was too scared. Towards the end I got up to about 35 – 38km. I think I am just going to have to keep practising. I don’t think that I will do much driving though. Bikes and buses sound good to me!!!

Another Train Episode...

I think I have serious issues with trains. I have another funny story to tell…..so again I was on my way home from work. I was cutting it fine to make the train but I was determined to catch it. I got caught up everyway possible. People wanting to talk to me, having a hard time putting my shoes on and then trying to find an umbrella as it was raining. I finally left the school grounds after all that and set off to catch this train. I thought I should start running so that I could make it. So there’s me running in the rain, with my umbrella (a pink one mind you), in my high heel shoes. I must have looked ridiculous. Anyway when I got to the train tracks to cross them the beam was already down. I was really annoyed because I tried so hard to make it. (At least I didn’t get stuck in between the tracks this time). Anyway I looked to see which way the train was coming, it was coming from the other direction. Good I thought, I could still make it, I just had to wait for the beams to come up so I could cross the track. Well when the train wooshed passed the beams did not come up. I looked in the other direction and my train was coming. Damn it I thought I missed it. It was so unfair because I was there but I just couldn’t get across the tracks. I really didn’t want to wait for the next train to come because then that would have meant that I did all of that for nothing. I was still determined to make it. There was a huge pile of cars on either side of the beams waiting to cross the tracks by the way. Anyway I thought “I am going to make it” so I hurdled over the first beam, ran across the track, hurdled over the second beam (by this stage the train had already stopped and was just about ready to close the doors), then I ran to the ticket machine, put my ticket through and managed to just make it onto the train before the doors closed. I was so glad to make it on the train that I didn’t even check if it was the right one. Too late now because the doors had closed and the train was off. So there was me all huffing and puffing trying to ask someone if the train was going to Himeji Station. Thankfully someone understood what I was saying and I was on the right train. PHEW!! How funny would it have looked to all the cars that were piled up watching this girl with a pink umbrella hurdling over the two beams??

Our First Karaoke Experience....

Well we finally went to a Karaoke bar. It was by chance actually, we hadn’t planned on going. We were out riding one night after tea with the other Aussies when we saw some of the Americans who live in the same residence as us. They told us that they were going to Karaoke and invited us to come. We were a bit hesitant at first but then thought why not! We may as well experience something that the Japanese love to do, so we went. We booked a room for the night. It fit about 15 people in it. It was ok, there were about 3 microphones that we could all share as well as some musical instruments like tambourines and maracas that we could use.
The Americans had been drinking prior to us meeting them so they were very rowdy. We had just been out for tea on the other hand and had no drinks so you can imagine how tame we were. It was pretty hard to get into it especially with the Americans being so loud. I still thought that is was an ok night and I would definitely like to do it again but preferably with just the Aussies. At least I can say that I have experienced Karaoke in Japan.

Teaching So Far....

Well I have now taught for 2 weeks. The kids seem pretty good. They get very excited when they see you in the room. Some come in a say hello about 50 times because that’s the only word they know, some come in a crack up laughing and some just come in quietly. You get mixed reactions from each group of students. I teach for 4 days a week at the high school. On the other day I teach for half a day at the University. In the 4 days at the high school there are 24 lessons. I teach 14 lessons and have 10 free lessons. Each lesson consists of 50 minutes and then there is a 10 minute break in between lessons. Can you imagine having all that NITT? I have at least 2 lessons off a day and sometimes I have 3 lessons off. Australia should adopt this method then none of us would complain!! ☺ It is difficult to get the students to participate in lessons. They are very shy to speak English as they are out of their comfort zone. It takes a while to get them going and sometimes I don’t even know if they understand what I am saying to them especially when they just stare at me with blank faces. Hopefully as they get to know me more they will feel more comfortable to participate. At the moment I am teaching them how to use public transport and the types of questions they may need to ask or answer. The students I teach are about 15, 16 year olds. They are quite big compared to what I am used to. I will give you another teaching update further down the track…..

My First Shogai Experience

10th January 2007

Today was my first day at Shogai University. This is a great day because I get the morning off. I don’t start class until 1:00pm and I finish at 4:20. I have 2 one and a half hour lessons with a 20minute break in between. These classes are adults. Most of them are retired of older people. The oldest man was 75 years old. There were a couple that were 70, 65, 60. They actually speak English quite well. They are very keen and enthusiastic which is good and they do exactly what you tell them to do. Both classes that I taught were terrific. Shogai is a 15 minute ride from my apartment block. I rode with an American who knew the way. He said that he would show me a few times so I can get the hang of the route. One of the ladies in the class gave me a Japanese New Years decoration. It was really nice. I hung it in my apartment. I made another trip to the Max Value store last night. I think that shop is going to love us.

First Day of Work

9th January 2007

First Day of Work

Today was my first official day of work. I had to be at school by 8am so I needed to catch a 6:57am bus into the city to then catch the 7:31am train to get to my school. Now I thought that I had to leave early in Adelaide leaving at 7:20am – this is even earlier! I got up today at 5:45am to make sure that I was ready on time – I’m sure as the days go on I will get up later and later. Still I reckon 6am will be the latest! Thankfully I remembered the route to school and no troubles getting there. That was a big relief! My buddy teacher seemed impressed that I made it to work (I don’t know what that is trying to say!) He asked me if I had prepared a speech and I pulled out my piece of paper. He didn’t tell me that I had to write one but because all the others had been told I figured I had to do one to so when I pulled mine out he seemed really happy because he thought that he was going to have to quickly write one for me. He read through what I had written and he said it was perfect. He then gave me a little present and asked me if I knew what it was. I had no idea and said no sorry what is it – he told me it was a plug for my sink which was really nice because when I first met him I asked about plugs and told him that my sink had no plug so that’s why he bought me one. He is a very nice guy. At 8:30 there was a short staff meeting. The staff consists of around 58 teachers. I had to read my little prepared speech in front of them all. I felt very nervous because I didn’t even really understand what I was saying. They were all smiling at me though and were encouraging me which was nice. After I read it my buddy teacher (Ken – a shortened name for me to use) said that I said it perfectly. Some other teachers also came up to me and said that my Japanese was really good. I think that they were just trying to make me feel better. I then had to read it again in front of all the students. I think some of them were laughing at me but oh well. I was glad when that was all over and done with! The corridors here are absolutely freezing and the classrooms are even worse. There is no heating or cooling in the schools which I find very hard to believe. In the staff room there is only 1 computer hooked up to the net. And in the classrooms they still have blackboards. This is very hard to believe considering Japan is way more advanced in technology than Australia. I don’t know how I will cope with the cold – I’m sure I will figure out a way. You should see what I am wearing – forget jeans and tack pants. It is suits and skirts here. All the teachers are very well dressed. It is unbelievable! All the teachers seem really nice, some come up and say hello and try to talk to me and others just go about their business. The principal is very formal. The teachers are afraid to talk to him. After assembly the students had to get their uniforms checked by the teachers and this is just a public school. After assembly we had another staff meeting which was all in Japanese – so I had a lot of hope understanding that one! After the meeting we were given lunch which was a Japanese lunchbox with a variety of things inside. It was ok but there was lots of it which I just couldn’t bring myself to eat. One thing when I bit it actually made a squeak noise which made want to puke so I had to secretly spit in out into a tissue. There was some rice on it which is always a safe and filling option. After lunch people just seemed to look busy so I had to do the same. I asked my buddy if I could get the internet plugged into my laptop so I could sit at my desk and use it instead of having to share one computer with 58 staff. So he got the tech onto it – but he was having trouble finding a cable long enough to plug me in. I felt really bad asking but they were really nice and kept on trying until they eventually got it working for me. They are very nice people. The principal then gave my buddy some phone cards to give to me as a present. I wanted to thank him and take him a present so I asked my buddy to take me to his office. He was really packing it because he was nervous going into his room. I didn’t understand the problem. The principal seemed ok. I left school at 4:10 and made my way home which I thought would be a piece of cake. I found my way to the train station and as I went to cross it the lights started flashing. I had already started crossing so I continued walking to the other side when the beams started coming down. Now in Adelaide it wouldn’t matter because there is always that little gap that you can squeeze through – well not in Japan. The beam came down and I was stuck inside the track. There were some school girls on the other side watching and laughing at me. They told me to get through but I was a bit frazzalled and couldn’t work it out so I put my bag over and kind of stepped to the side and tried to fit through this tiny gap which was impossible for me to get through. The girls then ran over to me and told me to climb under the beam. You can imagine me in my skirt and boots going under this beam. Don’t ask me why I didn’t think of it myself but you know what it’s like when you get all frazzalled!! Then I got my ticket and wasn’t sure which side of the track I had to be on and which way train I was meant to catch to get back home. I asked about 5 people before I could get a response and even then I wasn’t 100% I was heading in the right direction. I hopped on the train anyway and hoped for the best. Thank goodness I found somewhere familiar and could navigate my way home from there. What a day – I wonder what tomorrow will bring!

Himeji

January 6/7/8 2007

For the next few days before we started work we explored Himeji. We went into the city to try and work out how we were going to get from the Shirasagi Residence which is where we live to our schools. This was a very difficult task as we had absolutely no clue what the people at the information places were trying to tell us. We spent about one hour trying to figure out where we were going. Eventually we got some sort of information but it was still not 100% clear. When we got back to our residence we asked some of the Americans who live there to clarify the information for us and that made it 100 times more clearer. The shopping malls in Himeji are terrific. I haven’t had a good chance to explore them properly yet but everywhere you look there are shopping malls. Himeji is quite a big city. It is very clean like all the other parts of Japan that I have visited. I am slowly getting used to living here. On Saturday night we decided to hit the town. We went out for dinner and then went to find a pub to go to. When we first arrived in Hemeji Mr Izuka told us about a bar called the Tiger Bar. He said that this was where all the foreigners went. We were a bit hesitant to go there but we thought we should check it out. Well as soon as we got there we were pretty much ready to leave. Some Americans run the pub and were very full on. We stayed for 1 drink but couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The pub was very small and there was no dance floor. We left and walked down the road to another place called Cocktails and Dreams. It sounded like a good bar to go to so we went in to have a squiz. The place looked really classy and it was very well set out. No one was in there but we felt rude to leave once we had stuck our heads in – that was the wrong choice because we got ripped off badly. Everyone wanted to try Sake which is a Japanese type of alcohol. We asked the bar tender how much and he said that it would cost 800 yen which is $8.00. That sounded reasonable to us so we decided to stay.
The bar guy gave us some nuts to eat as well which we thought was a bonus. When we decided to leave we all got our 800 yen out but soon realised that 800 yen was not going to cut it. What the bar failed to inform us was that there was a 1000 yen cover charge just for entering the bar. This is now the second time I have been caught out by this rule. Instead of the Sake only costing 800 yen it ended up costing us 1800 yen each. What a rip off. I knew I should have asked for more nuts! That seemed to end our night right there. The dancing went out the window but I wish it didn’t because I was pretty ready for it after drinking the Sake. Very potent stuff that – I have no tried it cold and hot and they are my one and only times trying it. It is a drink that it very hard to swallow. Speaking of drinks – the alcohol here is very cheap. In the supermarket you can buy spirits very cheap. Baileys costs around 1500 yen which is $15, you can buy Johnny Walker for around 1800, Vodka was around 1200 yen – all very cheap. I think we will be planning a cocktail night at some stage!!
We went to the Himeji Castle on Monday which was the day before we started work.
This was the first time we had gone there since we have been in Himeji. It is such a beautiful castle. We booked into an English tour which was led by a Japanese lady. Her English was very good. The tour took around two hours. We actually got to go inside the castle. It was very interesting and freezing especially when you had to take your shoes off inside. After the castle tour we did some more exploring of the city malls. Steve and I also bought some new bikes. The bikes were pretty cheap around $139 brand new including a basket, lock and lights. We are pretty happy with them and since we will be riding quite a bit we may as well have decent bikes. On the first day of school we were told that we had to give a speech in Japanese to the staff and students. I was so nervous and worried. The night before school started everyone came up to our apartment so we could come up with some kind of speech. I was so nervous – not only did I have to speak in front of 300 people, I had to say it in Japanese. (And they told us that it wasn’t necessary to speak Japanese to come to Japan – yeah right!) The rest of the night was spent preparing for my speech.

Day Eleven

5th January 2007

We had an orientation day today. This was to meet our teaching buddy and to be taken to our school. When we arrived in the meeting room we were told that we had to give a little introductory speech preferably in Japanese. So much for a bit of warning….I was so nervous because I had no idea and had not prepared but everyone was in the same boat except for Steve of course because he could rattle off something decent. I managed to say something very small – but at least it was something! My teaching buddy was really nice. He is only 27 so that is good – at least he is on my wave length. He can speak reasonable English which is good for me. He took me to my school by train. The school looks very American. The staff room is very weird and there are just all desks in them and peoples stuff just everywhere. It is weird no having your own classroom to sit in. After school we were taken to the bank to open up our bank account. This was a very long winded process and again I had no idea what was going on. It is very difficult to communicate with people when you do not speak their language. Mr Izuka speaks English quite well so he was there to guide us through this process.
After all the important things were done we went to a shopping centre called Max Value. This is a supermarket and a clothes/shoe store and on the third level there is a 100 yen store where everything in it is $1.00. Here you can buy many different things such as cleaning products, sponges, cutlery, plates, towels etc. I suppose it is not the best quality but for what we need it is fantastic! We spent around 3000 yen which is about $30 and got quite a lot of things. I think this is a store that we will visit frequently. It is walking and riding distance which is good.

Day Ten

4th January 2007

We woke up early and headed back into Osaka for half a day as we weren’t getting picked up by Mr Izuka until 4pm. This time we knew exactly what train to catch there and back! (phew!) We took the gang to Mr Donut for breakfast so they could experience the yumminess of all the sweets and savouries there. We then had a look around the city until it was time to be picked up.
Mr Izuka came at 4pm on the dot. There is no messing around with the Japanese. If they say a time that is exactly what they mean. Luckily we were there waiting or else we would not have given a very good first impression. He was very nice when we met him but you could tell he was on a schedule. It took two hours to get from Osaka to Himeji. We were all pretty tired so the bus ride was pretty mellow. We finally arrived at our apartments and could start getting settled in. (the bags were sent arrived at our Residence safely thank goodness!) We went to our apartment and discovered that it was a lot bigger than we expected. I couldn’t wait to start unpacking all of my things. The main bedroom is huge – lots of wardrobe space, not that it matters because I could hardly bring anything to hang in there. I’m sure throughout the year I’ll find a way to stock it up! The bathroom is a decent size, the washing machine is in there too but it is ok – very manageable. All the appliances are in Japanese so trying to decipher them is quite tricky – there is a book which describes them to you so I’m sure that book will come in handy. The kitchen is quite small so I have to figure out a way to use the space efficiently. We have an eating area as well as a lounge room. It is not very big but it is large enough. We have a couch which folds out into a bed, a table to eat at and four chairs, a coffee table, a stereo, a t.v, video, DVD player, microwave, small oven, kettle, rice cooker, some utensils, iron and a few other bits and pieces. We have two single beds which is weird – we have just joined them together and tried to put the sheet and blankets over both of them. It is a little strange but we are dealing with it. The apartment has excellent heating and cooling which is awesome because you definitely need it! The rubbish system is quite different to in Australia. Everything has to be sorted into different piles. There is a burnable, plastic, paper, cans and bottles pile. I think it will take me a while to get use to this system.

Day Nine

3rd January 2007

Today we had a long drive from Wakayama back to Osaka so we could meet Mr Izuka the following day. Hideo was kind enough to drive us there even though it was peak hour and it was going to be a 2 and half hour drive. We finally got there! The rest of our teaching group was already there so we met up with them and decided to head into the city of Osaka by train. The others had only just arrived in Japan so they were very excited to hear all about our adventure so far. We took them to the first restaurant that we ate in when we first arrived. I ordered the same meal as the previous time which was curried noodles. Delicious! After tea we had a little look around at the night life which was still buzzing by the way and then decided to catch the train back to the hotel. Well this was an adventure as we got on the wrong train. When we finally realised that none of surroundings looked familiar we became a little concerned. We asked the conductor and he told us that we were heading in the wrong direction and that we needed to go back to where we came from and start again. This was ok – well so we though…… when we tried to go back to where we came from we soon realised that the trains had finished for the night and that we were stuck in the middle of no where with no idea of how to get back! Lucky I was with Steve and a big group of people or else I probably would have been in tears. A taxi was the only way to go. Trying to find one was difficult but then we finally did. You think it would have been smooth sailing from there……we told the taxi where to go but they had no idea what we were saying. We spent about 30minutes explaining to the taxi drivers where we wanted to go. This was a nightmare but we somehow eventually got through to them. So in we hopped in 2 taxis because there so many of us back to our hotel. We were about 20 minutes out of the way. We eventually arrived back at our hotel but each taxi bill came to $60 – a very expensive mistake. Oops! At least we could all laugh about it.

Day Eight

2nd January 2007

Today Hideo picked us up again at around 12 and took us back to his place for lunch – another traditional Japanese meal. Not sure if I like this one! It was ok but I didn’t go back for seconds. There is always a variety of food to choose from. We had another hot pot type dish which we all shared. In there was radish, egg, potato, fish meat, some sort of rice parcel and tofu. It was all boiled. On another plate there were some rice wrapped in bean curd parcels – they were quite tasty, and then there was salad. My stomach is feeling a little churny – maybe because of all the different types of food. Hopefully I get used to it quick smart. The food is very healthy though – no wonder there is not an ounce of fat of any of there bodies! Today has been another chill out day. It is raining outside so we can’t really do much! It is nice to just sit in their house though and spend time with them. Everyone is kind of doing their own thing. At about 4pm Hideo and his family took us for a drive. We went to another town called Shirahama which is about 35km away from Wakayama. Santanbeki was our first stop. This is a look out with awesome views but apparently there is a lot of suicide here. We then went to an ashiyu which was an interesting experience. Everyday has been something new. An ashjiyu is a foot bath. It was so cool. You sit down at a table and put your feet in the water below you. The water is really hot but it is very relaxing for your feet. Such a bizarre thing to see. It is just on the side of the road – outside. It was the highlight of my day. We ordered these drinks called kakigoori – they were ice drinks with condensed milk on top and had some sort of bean underneath the ice – very unusual but they tasted quite nice. They look like icies. It was funny having our feet in hot water and drinking an icy drink! We sat there for about an hour and then we drove to Mos Burger which is similar to a McDonalds. The burgers were quite small though. After Mos Burger we went back to Yujins house. I tried Seaweed tea. It tastes salty and kind of like soup. Does it sound like I am drinking and eating all weird things? It is all very unusual – just as well I am not a fussy eater!

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Day Seven

1st January 2007

We woke up today after some much needed sleep. The shower was not what we are used to. I was struggling a bit and had no idea but I managed to some how wash myself! In the house there is a Kotastu which is a table with blankets underneath it that you put your feet in and it is like a heater. It is very toasty! Hideo picked us up around 12pm and took us to the owners of the guest house. They were very lovely happy people and excited to meet us. We then drove to the super market. The first one I have seen since I have been in Japan. It was very big and it was actually open on New Years Day! We then went to Yujins house and had lunch.
A traditional Japanese meal. Again not what we are used to but very delicious. We had some soup to start with and then had like a hot pot in the middle of the table which we all shared. In there was meat, and lots of different types of vegetables and noodles. We even ate raw egg and raw salmon. I also tried my first drink of Saki today. It was pretty nice – a little potent though but drinkable. Gee I am being really adventurous! Yujin’s house has the best view. His dad owns the mountain that his house is on– how amazing is that? We climbed up the mountain on a walking track. The view was fantastic from the top. It is very peaceful here and we have just relaxed for the whole day which was nice because the previous days were very full on. Yujin’s family are terrific people. His mum is so cute – she can’t understand much English but she tries hard to talk to us. His sister is cute too. Yujin’s dad is lovely and speaks English quite well. He is easy to talk to and very friendly. He has been a BIG help. They have a dog called Clifford. I am not keen on him of course and am acting like a spaso which is normal for me with dogs but it is a little embarrassing but I can’t help it! Of course the dog comes to me all the time….. at about 9pm we headed out to a public bath which is a very popular place to go in Japan. I wasn’t quite sure what this entailed but when we told Yujin’s family that we didn’t have bathers with us they were not fussed at all because they said you go in there naked. I was very shocked to hear this and wasn’t sure whether or not I would feel comfortable doing it. After some hesitation I decided what the hell and to just go with the flow…..there was a ladies section and a male section (thank goodness for that – I don’t think I would have coped if it was mixed!) I am so glad that I was with Hisako and Idea (Yujin’s mum and sister) because if it wasn’t for them Marie and I would have been clueless. It was quite a bizarre experience really and it took me a while once I was in the change room to get used to the idea of what I was about to do. Hisako told Marie and I to take our clothes off and we just started laughing like little school girls. When I looked around the room every other lady was naked and it didn’t seem to phase them one bit. So we took our clothes off quickly. We had a little towel to cover our fronts as we walked from one bath to another. Before we entered the spa bath we had to pour water over us then we could enter the bath. It was very hot and once I got over the shock of being embarrassed and feeling like a hefa in front of all the skinny Japanese girls I actually found it relaxing. There were lots of different baths that you could go in. I didn’t want to move around too much so I kind of stayed in the one spot. It was weird at first trying to grasp this concept as it is one that we would never see in Australia but after a while we just got used to it and we stopped feeling so embarrassed. After we decided we had had enough we washed our bodies with soap in a separate section where we could also wash our hair with shampoo and conditioner. They had a set of scales on the way out so I weighed myself out of curiosity and found that I was 55.6kg. I was amazed at this because when I left Adelaide I was 57kg so I had lost about 1 and a half kilos. That made me feel better but I still felt like a hepha compared to all the Japanese girls. Once we were changed we went outside and had some dinner. I ate curried rice with shrimp. It was weird because you ordered your meal through a vending machine. They still had cooks to prepare it but you paid through the machine. Vending machines are very popular in Japan and are everywhere with lots of different things in them. You can even buy hot drinks in cans out of them – how bizarre is that? Everything is a novelty because it is all new. Hardly anything is the same as in Australia which is a good thing because we are having a totally new experience with everything.

Day Six - New Years Eve

31st December 2006

This is the last day of 2006. The weather was about 6 degrees today quite nice. We had to check out of our hotel in Kyoto today so we left our luggage at the hotel while we rode around Kyoto for a few hours. We rode down a little mall which actually wasn’t so little. This was the first lot of shops that we saw in Kyoto because the other days we rode to different shrines and temples. We didn’t have a lot of time today to ride far away so we just rode to the mall which was close by. We found a place called Mister Donut where we ate breakfast. It was absolutely delicious. We tried a few varieties of donuts and it only cost for Steve and I around 600 yen. This filled our stomachs up! After breakfast we looked in some shops in the mall. Marie and I bought a little coin purse. Steve and Marie found some jackets that they bought for 10000 yen – quite cheap. After the mall we returned our bikes that we rented and made our way with all our luggage to Osaka by train. It took around 30 minutes. When we got to Osaka we had about an hour to explore the North side of Osaka before we met up with Yujin’s family. We went to a restaurant that they booked for New Years Eve. The food was very unique and different to what we are used to. It was like the Great River Korean where you cook your own food on BBQ’s. We tried raw beef which I was hesitant to try but tried it and thought it was ok. We tried tongue, stomach and some other beef. It was all delicious. After dinner we went to a little tiny pub. It was very cute but we were the only ones in there. It was weird because you would expect on New Years Eve to see lots of people everywhere, but where we were it was very quiet. Most people were at shrines and temples. We left Osaka at around 1am and Yujin’s dad drove us back to Wakayama where Yujin’s family live. We are staying in a guest house which is beautiful and the countryside around us is awesome! We will be in this house for next 3 days.